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Bristleclaw: Abandoned
InTrOdUcTiOn Hi there! It's Kitty :) This is a fanfic set way back around the time of Into the Wild, when hideous Brokenstar is still ShadowClan's leader before Yellowfang and the ThunderClan patrol drives him and his followers out. Have a look at dis *Gallery Allegiances ShadowClan LEADER: Brokenstar - long-haired dark brown tabby DEPUTY: Blackfoot - large white tom with huge jet-black paws MEDICINE CAT: Runningnose - small gray-and-white tom WARRIORS: (toms, and she-cats without kits) Scarletwhisker - black-and-ginger she-cat Apprentice, Toadpaw Tuftypelt - light brown tom with a sticking-up coat Stumpytail - brown tabby tom Apprentice, Brownpaw Bristleclaw - dark brown tom with spiky fur, white shoulders and a lighter chest and haunch Boulder - silver tabby tom Apprentice, Wetpaw Clawface - battle-scarred brown tom Apprentice, Littlepaw Nightpelt - black tom Crownose - small black tom with a white patch on his nose Embertree - ginger-and-white she-cat Dustyfoot - brownish-ginger tabby tom Apprentice, Frondpaw Redjuniper - slender, friendly red tabby she-cat with a white tail tip APPRENTICES: (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors) Frondpaw - dark gray tom with speckled tail Wetpaw - gray tabby tom Littlepaw - small brown tabby tom Toadpaw - skinny cream tabby she-cat QUEENS: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits) Dawncloud - small tabby Brightflower - black-and-white she-cat Lilyears - ginger-gray tabby she-cat; mother to Birdkit (glossy black-and-white she-cat) and Snapkit (sleek, energetic gray tabby tom) ELDERS: (former warriors and queens, now retired) Ashfur - thin gray tom Thornflower - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with tall ears Bearclaw - heavy brown tom with round, prick ears and gray pads RiverClan LEADER: Crookedstar - huge light-coloured tabby with a twisted jaw DEPUTY: Oakheart - reddish-brown tom WindClan LEADER: Tallstar - black-and-white tom with a very long tail ThunderClan LEADER: Bluestar - blue-gray she-cat, tinged with silver around her muzzle Apprentice, Firepaw DEPUTY: Redtail - small tortoiseshell tom with a distinctive ginger tail Apprentice, Dustpaw MEDICINE CAT: Spottedleaf - beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat with a distinctive dappled coat WARRIORS: Lionheart - magnificent golden tabby tom with thick fur like a lion's mane Apprentice, Graypaw Tigerclaw - big dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws Apprentice, Ravenpaw Whitestorm - big white tom Apprentice, Sandpaw Darkstripe - sleek black-and-gray tabby tom Longtail - pale tabby tom with dark black stripes Runningwind - swift tabby tom Willowpelt - very pale gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes Mousefur - small dusky brown she-cat APPRENTICES: Dustpaw - dark brown tabby tom Graypaw - long-haired solid gray tom Ravenpaw - small, skinny black tom with a tiny white dash on his chest, and white-tipped tail Sandpaw - pale ginger she-cat Firepaw - handsome ginger tom QUEENS: Frostfur - beautiful white coat and blue eyes Brindleface - pretty tabby Goldenflower - pale ginger coat Speckletail - pale tabby, and the oldest nursery queen ELDERS: Halftail - big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing Smallear - gray tom with very small ears. The oldest tom in ThunderClan Patchpelt - small black-and-white tom One-eye - pale gray she-cat, the oldest cat in ThunderClan. Virtually blind and deaf Dappletail - once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a lovely dappled coat Tale Chapter 1 A ragged cat huddled at the entrance to a thornbush shelter, spiky coat fluffed up in alarm as the storm raged above. Dark clouds covered the moon, rain pelted down in hard, icy drops, and a strong, cold wind almost blew the trees over. "Bristleclaw!" a scratchy voice sounded from the shadows at the edge of the peaty clearing, and a younger, sleeker cat ran up to the ragged one. "Bristleclaw!" he hissed. "Did you not hear me calling you? Blackfoot just ordered me to lead a hunting patrol consisting of you and Crownose." The brown tom whipped his head around and snarled at the tabby. "Are you crazy? Do you not see the storm?" "Of course I do! It's not my fault it's raining, and it isn't Blackfoot's either. No matter the weather, at the beginning of newleaf we've got to hunt as much as possible. The fresh-kill pile looks like it's still in the middle of leaf-bare. We need to restock." "But why now, Stumpytail?" the other warrior asked. "StarClan knows why!" Stumpytail exclaimed. "StarClan ''knows nothing of the sort!" A deep, grizzly voice echoed behind them, and the pair of cats turned to see a huge dark tabby cat, his face squashed down, towering over them. "O-of c-course, Brokenstar," Stumpytail stuttered, suddenly nervous as a kit. "I d-don't know what I was thinking." "Clearly!" Brokenstar growled, hitting the tabby with one enormous paw which contained enough force to knock poor Stumpytail to the other side of the camp, sending him crashing into the muddy gorse wall. The ShadowClan leader bared his cracked, yellow-and-black teeth. He turned to Bristleclaw. "As for you," he hissed, "you can go join that hunting party. Crownose's waiting for you." Brokenstar glanced at his former apprentice's unmoving body. "I don't think Stumpytail'll be up to it." Bristleclaw looked up at Brokenstar. Even though the senior warrior was moons older than the striped leader, Brokenstar was almost twice his size. The dark tom guessed the angry tabby had gotten that from his courageous father Raggedstar, leader before him. "Hey!" Bristleclaw flinched as the giant tomcat swiped his cheek with unsheathed claws. "Stop daydreaming and get to work! The rats at Carrionplace ain't just gonna come crawling to our camp and beg to be caught, are they? So get out there with Crownose and ''hunt!" "But Brokenstar," Bristleclaw began, "With all due respect, isn't the Carrionplace sorta a risky place to go when we're all just recovering from leaf-bare? You know evil and disease lurks th - " Another swipe to the face and Brokenstar wasn't listening to his warrior's complaints anymore. Instead, he had turned his attention to an already drenched young gray she-cat who had just emerged from an ivy-covered, abandoned fox burrow at the edge of the clearing. Her wet, scarred pelt also had a touch of ginger to it, creating a delightful colour. "Lilyears!" Brokenstar half-growled, half-yowled to the queen. "I want Birdkit and Snapkit for training. It's about time they became 'paws. This Clan's running too slowly!" The queen glanced at him, yellow eyes confused. "But Brokenstar, they're only three moons old, half the apprentice age. Three more moons are need - " "Silence!" The aggressive tom cut her off, eyes blazing with a cold fire. "I am your leader, and you will do what I say, when I say it. And I say your kits need to become apprentices now!" In a flash, Brokenstar mounted the Highbranch and called to the Clan. "Let all cats old enough to fight gather beneath the Highbranch for a Clan meeting!" As the cats of ShadowClan drearily slinked from the shadows of the night, the gray-ginger she-cat attempted to groom her kits' coats to perfection, but all too soon Brokenstar beckoned her with his crooked, shaggy tail. As Lilyears reluctantly escorted her litter to the center of the peaty camp, her brother walked over to the fresh-kill pile, where his friend was nibbling on a brown toad. "Come on; we've gotta go on a hunting patrol to Carrionplace. Brokenstar wants to see what we can catch there," Bristleclaw meowed. Crownose looked up, dropping his slimy meal, and snorted. "I doubt we'll find much there aside from mucky water and Twoleg rubbish!" he muttered loud enough for his patched Clanmate to hear, but got up, shook out his black pelt, and followed Bristleclaw to the entrance, where they paused in the cover of a thick pool of shadow to watch the ceremony. Bristleclaw pricked his ears and heard his gray littermate's son Snapkit yell "Yay! Bye mum!" before bounding away. "Until you become warriors, your names will be Birdpaw and Snappaw," the ragged leader was announcing, barely eyeing the kittens. He glanced around the crowd of shivering, thin, disease-ridden cats. The medicine cat Runningnose was sitting outside the medicine den next to his patient, Boulder, who had another cobweb-coated shoulder wound from battle practice with Clawface and Littlepaw the other day. Brokenstar's flaming amber gaze fell on Lilyears. "Lilyears, who should mentor your kits?" he demanded. The queen said nothing, sensing a challenge from her cruel leader. Lip drawn back in a smug snarl at the she-cat's silence, Brokenstar spoke again. "That right there is respect - what I expect from all my cats, including Snappaw's new mentor Nightpelt, though Embertree's never been that smart. Shame on her." With that, the tabby leapt down from Highlog and flicked his bushy, dark-coloured tail before vanishing into his den. Ever since that tom had become leader, ShadowClan had learned to interpret his indirect mutters properly - for example, Embertree was Birdpaw's mentor now, and everyone knew it. Bristleclaw shook his wide head and exited the camp with Crownose following. Chapter 2 Bristleclaw padded into camp about half an hour later, a mangled kestrel hanging from his jaws. Crownose followed, burdened with two fat rats, a pheasant and a snake. Embarrassed by his tiny catch, the older warrior hurried over to the fresh-kill pile to dispose of his skinny bird, while his friend took his time, looking around the camp for any sign of his young mate, Redjuniper. As if StarClan had blessed them, the downpour reduced to a spitting until finally stopping when a beautiful, silky-pelted, long-legged, dark ginger tabby she-cat appeared from the nursery, green eyes a mixture of emerald and dew-sprinkled ferns. Her long, slender, red-striped tail ended at a magnificent snow-white tip. Lost in his daydream, Bristleclaw almost felt her downy coat brush against his, but was snapped out of it by Crownose's voice: "Bristleclaw! Earth to Bristleclaw!" The bulky ShadowClan tom shook his head clear and turned to see his companion, who had the pretty ginger cat, Redjuniper, sitting next to him. Crownose licked his mate's ear before speaking to his brown-furred friend again. "Bristleclaw, you there? Good. Redjuniper just asked you to go get her some moss for her nest - she'll need it for when her - our - kits come." Not wanting to be rude, Bristleclaw nodded in agreement, and the pair of smitten warriors padded away. Bristleclaw growled under his breath as he once again headed to the thorny camp entrance. Since he was seven moons old he'd wanted a mate. He'd been especially interested in Redjuniper - Redpaw then - but she'd never even glanced at him. Bristleclaw had never been a weak kit, a runt or bullied when he was young. He'd been respected by a few denmates for his strength as an apprentice, but no one really paid attention to him in the sensible world of warriors. He was ugly and strange-looking, with a mud-brown pelt, weird spiked fur, and paler patches on his chest and one haunch, eyes RiverClan-blue. No she-cat had loved him as a mate in his life, while on the other paw Crownose was a fairly strong warrior, but intelligant and quick to act as well. His pelt wasn't spiky as thistles and ears ripped from battle. He was a sleek, handsome warrior, and Bristleclaw couldn't help being jealous of his friend, who was going to be a father in not too long. Father to the kits of the most beautiful, but also one of the most stuck-up, queens in the forest. Bristleclaw noticed Brokenstar sitting beneath the Highbranch, pushed-in, battle-scarred face examining the damp, muddy, shadowed clearing. The leader's amber eyes darted from cat to cat like a fox deciding which rabbit burrow to invade. Bristleclaw growled raspily at the sight of the cruel tom - it was a bad decision, for Brokenstar's ragged ears pricked and his scorching gaze stopped searching. "Bristleclaw!" he called to the old warrior, rising to his hefty, shaggy, mud-coated paws. "In my den. Now!" The bony, dark brown tom hunched in the corner of the leader's den - it was a hole at the base of the massive, black oak that held the Highbranch. The tree was mostly bare except for a few bunches of leaves here and there. They say that the cold north wind that blew over ShadowClan and chilled their hearts also chilled the spirit of the tree and made it almost a thick skeleton of bark. "Bristleclaw." The huge, muscular, hairy shape of Brokenstar entered the shelter and sat down in his nest of slimy grass, ferns, leaves and feathers. Even the way he spoke the name spelled certain doom. Bristleclaw tensed at a level probably no other cat than one under the rule of this hulking terror would ever experience. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it was about to burst from his chest and he dug his claws into the peaty ground combined with tough tree roots, attempting to vent his built-up anger and horror. Brokenstar twitched the ragged tip of his crooked tail, sensing Bristleclaw's tension, and faced his warrior. "Bristleclaw, Bristleclaw, Bristleclaw," he growled. Suddenly his eyes hardened icily. "Mouse-brain! Why are you acting so feebly? Hunting the least prey, weak in battle and always begging for rests. What is wrong ''with you?" He leapt to his paws and thrust his muzzle in Bristleclaw's face. Drool was trickling from the corner of his mouth, puddling on the damp earth. "Are you trying to ''spite ''me, little kittypet?" He spat the words "spite" and "kittypet" as if he were brutally telling off an apprentice for bringing back crowfood to camp. His breath was unimaginably sour and disgusting. "N-no, Brokenstar," Bristleclaw meowed. "I just haven't been managing lately, th-that's all." As his leader retreated the warrior swiped his tongue around his grayed muzzle. Brokenstar looked up. "I know why," he hissed. "You're getting old. That's it. Well you know what we do with old, useless cats in ShadowClan?" He said it in a creepily calm voice. "No, sir," Bristleclaw mewed. Brokenstar chuckled. A sickly, horrible ''mrrrow ''of amusement. "Meet me at the tall ash tree tomorrow. Sunhigh sharp." He flicked his ears, dismissing Bristleclaw, and the spiky-furred brown tom hurried out of the den and across to the fresh-kill pile. He glanced around the clearing. Everything seemed different, somehow. There was no birdsong, only the far-off caw of a crow. All the cats seemed darker and more ragged, the stench of sickness and fear almost choking him. ShadowClan cats were trained to be one with the shadows, to ambush enemies and prey and fight relentlessly. But right now the shadows seemed to close in on him, threatening to blind him. Bristleclaw snatched a rat from the heap and padded to the edge of the clearing. The sun was hiding behind the clouds, so the camp lay silent and dark as night, even though it was early afternoon. The burly tomcat sat down on the soft earth and took a bite of his rat. Suddenly he noticed the prey's pelt was brown and patchy like his. Its muzzle was gray, whiskers bent and tangled. Its glazed eyes seemed to stare into space. Bristleclaw jumped away, panting. Was it a sign from StarClan? But he was no medicine cat. ''I probably caught it, ''he thought. ''That's why it's old and scrawny. ''The warrior glanced around hastily, the skin under his ruffled fur burning with embarrassment that he had been scared by a piece of fresh-kill. But most of the Clan - the fit, young and healthy ones - were out on patrol, and the few cats who were left behind huddled in their dens to escape the cold wind that had just picked up, wailing through the pines like the cries of a lost kit. Bristleclaw tried to finish his meal, but the supposed omen was bugging him. Did it have something to do with Brokenstar's mysterious orders to meet by the ash tree? I'm so old I'm going crazy and thinking an aged rat's pelt is significant. Still, he shoved the remainders of the rat into a bramble like he was burying dirt. He couldn't bear to see that thing anymore. It gave him the creeps. Chapter 3 'Bristleclaw opened his dark blue 'eyes the next morning, vision bleary. He blinked to get rid of it, then rose to his paws, arched his back in a long stretch and climbed out of his nest. Last night he had a terrible dream about being left in a pit to die, ignored by his Clanmates for many moons. In fact, he was surprised sleep had come at all; he had laid in his coarse bed for what seemed like seasons upon seasons, kept awake by thoughts of the strange rat he'd tried to eat yesterday. He shook his fluffy head, trying to clear it, but the look of those dark, beady, glazed-over rodent eyes still lingered at the back of his mind. The warrior poked his head out of a gap in the thorns that protected the entrance of the warriors' den. The blazing sun had already risen well over the horizon, lighting up the woods. Birds chattered in the swampy forest and the camp was busier than it had been on that haunting afternoon. He padded into the clearing, paws heavy. Today he was going to find out his Clan leader's plan, and he had a feeling it wasn't good. "Bristleclaw!" A familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts and the patchy cat turned to see Crownose, pelt sleek and well-groomed. He was so young and handsome and fit and lucky; Bristleclaw envied him. "Where are you off to this early?" he asked cheerfully. "Why are you so happy?" "Redjuniper gave birth last night - I can't believe you slept through it but I didn't want to wake you - I know how you are with sleeping, old buddy. But anyway, the kits are adorable. There's one tom that's almost identical to me, then there's a black-and-white she-kit and another she-kit, a ginger tabby with white legs and tail-tip. The tabby's the runt but they're all doing well. Wanna meet them?" Bristleclaw really wasn't in the mood to be cheered up by healthy new life right now, so he decided to selfishly dampen it. "Yeah, great. But I don't have time. Listen, did you see Brokenstar leave camp this morning?" "Er, yes," Crownose replied. "When?" "About half an hour ago." "Did he say where he was going?" "No." "Did he go alone or with a patrol?" "Alone." "Okay, thanks." Bristleclaw knew where Brokenstar was going, so he ate a lizard and padded through the entrance tunnel, into the dark pine forest. The whole way Bristleclaw tried to piece it all together in his mind. Why had Brokenstar blamed him for being old, asked to meet him at a specific spot and not told anyone in the Clan? The dark brown tom was mystified. Finally he arrived at the tree. It had been old and creaky for seasons, and was burned in an ancient bushfire that almost destroyed Clan territory not long after the Clans were founded. It sure was old, and no one knew why it was still standing. ''Like many things, ''the ShadowClan warrior realized. When he stepped into the cold shade of the canopy, there wasn't a soul around. Bristleclaw sniffed the air, but he couldn't smell his leader's scent. Just the stench of leaf mulch, mud, and a few prey creatures including frog along with blood and Lilyears' delicate, slightly musty scent. ''Seems as if she hunted here earlier. What a relief it must be to get out of the nursery and away from Birdpaw and Snappaw. '' Suddenly the tom heard a rustle behind him, and an enormous weight hit his back, knocking the breath out of the stocky, spiky-pelted cat. Remembering his training, he lay limp, intending to deceive his attacker and then throw him off without warning. "I'm not going to be fooled by that toad-brained trick!" Bristleclaw recognized the deep, growly, slightly slurred voice of Brokenstar. The muscular Clan leader climbed off the other tom. Bristleclaw shook himself and turned to face Brokenstar. "How did you do that? Not announce your presence?" he asked, shocked and distracted from the impending event. "Only an idiot like you would ask that," the cruel tabby hissed, obviously confident that there would be no consequences for insulting one of his cats. He swished his bent tail casually. "I pretend I'm hunting prey. Make sure the wind is blowing towards me, hiding my scent from the target. Keeping hidden, blending with my surroundings and the dappled shadows. Stepping lightly, not making a sound. I would expect an aged warrior like you to know that, but you don't. And the reason is that you weren't born with me as your leader. You had one of those softies that came before me. But they didn't last long, did they, little kitty?" he snarled as if he were taunting an enemy in battle. "That's because they weren't tough. They lived life slack and dumb. True warriors emerge from a kithood of harsh judgement, insults, and abuse. Life is pain and if you don't learn that early on, you're setting yourself up for failure." He looked Bristleclaw clean in the eyes. "Harassment. Unnecessary excluding, accusations and harm, causing pain whenever possible. Abuse and negativity. That's the way to train. You need to toughen cats up against the world or they'll collapse in a heartbeat. The weak die and the strong carry on." Then he kinked his bushy tail-tip over his broad, scarred back and lead the way to some thorns edged by white splashes. Daisies. Beyond the thistle wall, down a gully, into a cluster of holly bushes. A hole full of bright light shone ahead. A gap in the thorny leaves and red berries and tall, slender, gray-black pine trunks. Bristleclaw quickened his pace as they made their way towards it. Chapter 4 'The two toms pushed through' the undergrowth and arrived at one of the ugliest scenes Bristleclaw had ever experienced in his long life. There was a muddy sand clearing, half covered by shade and half bright sunlight. That wasn't the bad part. Skinny, ugly, battle-scarred cats stumbled along the peaty ground as if half-blind. A small pile of thin, scraggly prey sat in the center, fur and feathers shredded as if caught by some lazy kit. Burrows gaped black holes into musty, dirty darkness around the edge, acting as dens. Some had stale badger and fox scent drifting from them and made Bristleclaw want to gag. Other dens were inside dried, wrinkly bushes or holes in the bases of tree trunks, like the leader's den back in camp but smaller and duller-looking. Their was a flat boulder next to the "fresh"-kill pile. ''Maybe it's used for announcements. "This is the Elder Clearing!" Brokenstar meowed. His growly voice brought Bristleclaw out of his thoughts. All the cats looked up, bloodshot eyes glazed with tiredness and fear. Their ribs stuck out, tails drooped between their bony hind legs. Suddenly the warrior realized. He recalled his mother retiring when he was nearly old enough to become a warrior, all those moons ago. She had been old and grayed, with tangled whiskers and flea-infested fur. Then she'd just disappeared. Vanished one morning and poor Bristleclaw, Bristlepaw then, had never seen Thornflower ever again. Now he saw her. Lying at the edge of the camp. She was so much older than when he'd last seen her; no surprise there. But the state she was in was. All her bones were sharp and fine, almost protruding from her ragged pelt. Black fleas scurried through her calico pelt, and fat ticks clung on everywhere. The insides of her ears were submerged in blackness caused by ear mites, and her eyes were red and puffy, almost completely white and misty with blindness. Her once beautiful, sleek tail was ruffled with bones sticking out and long scabs and scars. Her fur was dotted with dried blood and about a hundred more scars than before. She looked on the brink of death. All the other elders milling around were in more or less the same state, some the same and some a bit less. But Thornflower was probably the worst. Brokenstar turned to look at his warrior. "This is where old and weak go, to keep ShadowClan full of only the strongest and healthiest cats." He flicked his tail. "Meet me in the camp clearing tomorrow afternoon for the trip back here, elder." He spun around and stalked into the pines, disappearing from sight. Not wanting to be in the horrible place any longer than he needed, the spiky-furred tom quickly followed. That night, Bristleclaw huddled in the middle of the warriors' den. He was the oldest warrior in the Clan, and so had the warmest nest at the middle of the bramble shelter, but right now he was chilled to the bone. This would be his last sleep in the ShadowClan camp, for tomorrow he would be delivered to the elders' clearing out in the woods to die with a bunch of mangy fleabags driven crazy by age and isolation from the rest of the world. Well, ''he thought, ''at least I won't be much different from them by the time I join StarClan. ''Yet he wanted to savour his last night with the young, fresh and sane cats, so he pushed his way out of the prickly bush den. The clearing was dark and empty, barely lit by the moon and stars in the cloudy black sky. A frosty breeze rippled his fur, gut-chilling yet refreshing at the same time. The wind seemed to carry the stench of death with it. ''Another omen? Chapter 5 "Let all cats old enough to fight gather beneath the Highbranch for a Clan meeting!" The loud call snapped Bristleclaw from sleep. He strained open his eyes. It hurt but he forced them to focus. Next he jumped to his paws, expecting to see the shaded earth walls and bodies of sleeping warriors around him, with moss underpaw. Instead sunlight poured down from every direction, and a cold breeze buffeted his ragged pelt. His paws almost sunk into the mud. Bristleclaw had fallen asleep in the clearing! He blinked away the glare and hurried over to the cats crowded in the camp. He settled down onto his belly, tucking his paws underneath him. Clawface was standing next to him, and one of the queens, a black-and-white she-cat named Brightflower, joined them. Bristleclaw could see Brokenstar sitting on his thick oak bough, crooked tail lashing slightly as it hung down off the branch. The huge brown tabby began his speech. "Yesterday one of ShadowClan's warriors requested to become an elder," he announced, voice calm and neutral. Oh no. "He has served the Clan for many moons, good and bad, and I hope he spends many more retired." Yeah right. You want to get rid of me as quick as possible. Suddenly Brokenstar's deputy, Blackfoot, an equally muscular and menacing tom, stepped forward from the tree roots and gazed up at his leader. "Brokenstar, where are ''the elders? Their den has been empty ever since you became leader, yet you announce the retiretirement of cats all the time," he interrupted. The leader hadn't told Blackfoot? ''Interesting. '' Brokenstar returned his deputy's gaze with amber eyes that burned a cold fire, and his voice had switched to a tone so venomous Bristleclaw almost expected the tabby to turn into a snake. "Silence, Blackfoot," he hissed. "You have no right to speak about ''that!" He spat the word "that". Then he turned back to his Clan and coughed. "Ahem, as I was saying," he meowed, casting a swift, cruel glance at his deputy, "Bristleclaw will resign from his position. Step forward, loyal warrior." Trying not to shake with terror, Bristleclaw got to his paws, checked that his hackles were down and walked to a spot just below the Highbranch, attempting to not look at the leader. "Bristleclaw, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?" Although Brokenstar was using the formal words for an elder ceremony, Bristleclaw could detect the sneer hidden under a layer of fake respect. The warrior peeled his eyes from the dirt and stared up at his leader; the dark tabby tom's amber gaze scorched Bristleclaw's pelt, forcing him to agree. "It is," the patched tom managed to croak. At least the other cats would think it was from age, not fear. "Your Clan honours you and all the service you have given us. I hope you recieve many moons of rest." Maybe they do, but you don't. ''Everyone knew that Brokenstar didn't believe in StarClan, so he didn't bother using that to help the lying ceremony. Brokenstar swept his tail to signal the dismissing of the meeting, and the ShadowClan cats padded away, not extremely interested. A few passed by Bristleclaw to wish him well, including Crownose, who actually stopped. "Buddy!" he meowed, resting his black tail-tip on his friend's tufty shoulder. "Why'd you become an elder? You're not that old!" Knowing what was coming from his leader, Bristleclaw was once again not in the mood for talking. "Er, yeah.." Bristleclaw meowed, barely listening. Brokenstar had just dragged a pigeon from the fresh-kill pile and disappeared into the gloom of his den. The new elder pricked his torn ears. Bristleclaw felt his friend's tail suddenly whisk away. "What's wrong with you, Bristleclaw?" he asked, voice starting to gain the slightest hint of a growl. It made the pale-patched, dark brown tom face the bicolour one. "Seriously!" Crownose hissed. "You used to be funny and cool and awesome to hang out with. You're my closest friend, and now all of a sudden you start treating me like some irritating apprentice at a Gathering, who's nagging you from one Great Oak to the other! ''What ''has gotten into you?" Crownose's tail lashed angrily. "You've been at this for the last few days! First you ignore mine and Redjuniper's kits, then you ignore me again now! You always have one eye on the leader, and it's starting to annoy me!" Bristleclaw took a step back. Crownose was normally so calm and smooth, even quiet sometimes. He was so smart; he always figured out how to solve complications and end arguments. The ferocity in his voice was completely out of character. But I guess I've been out of character too, which gives him a perfect right, Bristleclaw realized. Guilt stabbed his heart, and he found himself avoiding direct eye contact with his friend. "Look, things are more...difficult than usual," the elderly warrior struggled to explain. "Brokenstar and I have business to attend to and it's making me a bit distracted. I'm sorry if I've been acting strange lately, but I'm busy with...stuff." Crownose was satisfied for about a heartbeat, then the fur along his spine bristled again. "That isn't ''good ''enough, Bristleclaw!" His tone was a full-on growl. He seemed to realize and lowered his voice. "Tell me the reason and tell me ''now! I'm your best friend, remember? Best friends are supposed to tell each other everything!" Bristleclaw hesitated. If Brokenstar discovered that a warrior he already hated had told someone else about the evil elder-exiling scheme, the retired tom would never see the light of dawn. But Crownose would shun Bristleclaw if he wasn't told of what was going on. The brown cat made a decision. "Crownose," he whispered, "Brokenstar has done something terrible, and he's been doing it ever since he ascended to the position of leader." The black-and-white tom leaned in, pricking his ears. "It's the elders. He sends all the Clan elders, including the ones that previous leaders announced, to a horrible little clearing in ShadowClan territory. If you go west of the tall ash tree, keeping in line with it, you'll arrive at a wall of thornbushes with a clump of daisies at the edge. Go through and you'll see a deep gully. Ahead of that is a messy line of holly bushes. Go through the one directly facing you, and there will be a gap in the branches. Go up to that and push through. At the other side is the clearing. It's like a Clan camp, but smaller, with dens that stink of foxes and badgers. The only cats who live there are elders in the worst state you'll ever see. Fleas, ticks, eyes sealed shut by mucus, deep infected wounds, ungroomed pelts, blocked noses, mange. You name it, they have it. I saw my mother Thornflower there. She was the worst of them all. My father Bearclaw's probably living there too. Brokenstar took me there yesterday and now he's going to send me to the ugly place to rot with the other elders." Crownose's eyes sparked with some unreadable emotion, then he curled his lip back in a snarl. "You're not old, Bristleclaw, but you're mature enough not to joke about things like that. You're not a kit anymore; you don't make up lame stories. Tell me the real explanation now!" Bristleclaw was shocked. "But it is ''real!" he exclaimed. "What I just told you is exactly what the problem is. That's what's been bugging me." Something about the elder's tone or expression told Crownose, and the younger warrior calmed. "Okay, I believe you," he meowed. His lip went straight again, tail stilled and relaxed, hackles smoothed. "Blackfoot set us all to wondering with his question at the meeting. But I'm afraid I'll just get tossed into the elder clearing with you if I tried to help." Bristleclaw's spirit dampened and his tail drooped, but he nodded in understanding. Crownose looked up into his best friend's blue eyes. They tingled with sadness, and his own long, thin tail dragged in the dust. "Goodbye, old buddy." Chapter 6 'Bristleclaw pushed through the thorns' beyond the gully, muzzle bleeding. His Clan leader Brokenstar stood at his side. The old warrior had braced himself for his return to the Elder Clearing, but he could never be prepared for the horrors there. Stinky old dens, the small pile of ragged, skinny prey items, cats walking around with stuck-out bones and scarred pelts infested with fleas and ticks. ''This is my destiny. Brokenstar walked up to the rock in the center of the clearing and leaped onto it, muscles rippling beneath his thick, well-groomed dark tabby fur. His amber eyes gleamed with triumph. "Elders!" he yowled with a tone almost matching a battle cry. Instantly the elderly mange-bags in the camp crowded below their former leader. "Today I bring you a new member. Bristleclaw is now too aged to be of any use to ShadowClan, so he will spend the rest of his days here." Everyone turned to stare at Bristleclaw, who wanted to just run away - but if he did, Brokenstar would certainly kill him. So he forced his paws to take him into the throng of smelly elders. Atop the stone, Brokenstar sneered. He jumped off and disappeared into the undergrowth without another word. Thornflower rushed forward on unsteady legs and nuzzled her son, a mixture of misery and joy crackling in the air. "I-I've missed you so much!" she cried. For a heartbeat all the infected wounds and old scars and parasites vanished from the elderly she-cat, and all Bristleclaw saw was a young, slender, fit, beautiful ShadowClan warrior queen, her calico fur soft and feathery and shining in the sunlight. Her fur was freshly-groomed, eyes bright, tall ears pricked as she stood with a tiny brown tomkit, his smooth kitten fur patched with white and paler brown, his ocean-blue eyes sparkling excitedly as he gazed around a camp surrounded by pine trees. The cats in it looked sleek and well-fed, eating fresh, delicious-smelling prey, sharing tongues or coming in and out of the muddy clearing on patrols, a dark brown tabby tom settled on the Highbranch. Raggedstar! '' Then the vision disappeared, and Bristleclaw was left looking into his mother's eyes, one stuck shut with mucus. The stench of sickness and fear filled his nostrils, and his mother gave a soft nod. She'd seen the same memory. Suddenly the ragged warrior pushed forward and buried his muzzle in his mother's warm white chest fur. She licked him between the ears as if he were still a kit. Bristleclaw took a step back as a new scent wreathed around him. So, so familiar... "Bristleclaw!" The tom turned to see his loving father, Bearclaw, padding toward him. He was much older than when father and son had last met, but he was perfectly recognizable anyway. Bristleclaw spent the next hour reuniting with cats he hadn't seen for such a long time, then took a tour around the Elder Clearing with his mother. Apparently there were three dens: one hollowed out in the base of a tree trunk, another a cozy badger sett. The last one was for the especially sick cats - it was a winding fox burrow. The elders took turns trying to hunt enough food to keep them all alive. Scaring off danger such as foxes usually left the brave feline attackers dead. Bodies were buried all around outside the walls of the clearing - there were too many graves for a restricted burial place. _________________ That night, Bristleclaw slept in the cold, dark tree den with Ashfur whilst a storm raged outside. Thornflower and Bearclaw shared another den. _________________ The next morning, the youngest elder managed to grab a rat from the fresh-kill pile and wolf it down before hunting for his group. He brought back two toads and a fat vole, which all his comrades enjoyed later. Bristleclaw turned to his den, fur fluffed up against the early leaf-bare wind. "I'm gonna catch a nap," he meowed to Thornflower. The tabby she-cat nodded, grayed whiskers tangled by the breeze. Bristleclaw padded into the cavern beyond the tree's roots and curled up in his nest, though sleep wouldn't come for some reason. The old tom yawned and flicked the tip of his fluffy, ragged, grubby tail, tucking his scarred nose under a massive paw, but he still wasn't comfortable. The elder fidgeted in his bed for a while, thinking about the life he had left in ShadowClan. Then he decided: he would go and visit them. Well, not visit - more like sneak around the thorn barrier and eavesdrop on his former Clanmates. With a sigh Bristleclaw rose shakily to his paws and groomed down a mat hanging on his shoulder. Then he peeked out through the tightly woven roots and ferns, soft greenery tickling his muzzle. Ashfur and Thornflower were sharing a skinny rabbit on the other side of the elders' clearing, whilst Bearclaw's scent wafted strongly from the direction of the little camp's entrance. He must've just gone out. Bristleclaw pricked his battered, torn ears, flexing his claws and digging them into the soft, peaty earth impatiently. ''They don't have to know where I'm going, ''he reminded himself. With that he stepped tensely out of the tree den and made his way to the line of bushes that marked the end of the clearing. "Just having a look around for danger," he answered his mother's and Ashfur's questioning stares. "Might catch up with Bearclaw on the way." The older cats dipped their heads approvingly and continued eating their meal. Bristleclaw slipped quietly between the prickly branches and climbed out of the muddy gully, water splashing around his paws from last night's rain. He shivered as he squeezed out of the holly bushes and emerged into the clearing beside the ash tree where Brokenstar had ambushed him. That seemed like a long time ago now. Bristleclaw sniffed the air, crouching in the shade of a thornbush. ''ShadowClan! ''Fresh scent wafted into his nostrils from the northwest. The old tom recognized the scents of Boulder, the brown elder's brother Tuftypelt and Brightflower, who had been a queen when Bristleclaw left the Clan. Then there was an unfamiliar cat smell. A young cat, with a slightly milky scent. Probably a new apprentice. ''It's strange to think that ShadowClan has changed and moved on since I was exiled, ''Bristleclaw thought, then shook his broad, matted, muddy, grayed head. He wasn't here to wallow in self-pity and pointless memories; he was risking his life to check up on the Clan's progress that he actually cared about. The tomcat heard rustling in the direction of the named cats' scents. The sound, along with the appearance of shaking undergrowth from there to the east, told the elder that the patrol was heading off to the right. ''Perhaps back to camp? ''--------------'' A while later the hunting party and its stalker arrived at the thick, creepy-looking wall of thorns and ivy that guarded the camp clearing. Excitement fluttered in Bristleclaw's belly but he tried to push it away by breathing slowly - if he was caught there was a very good chance Brokenstar would have the banished old tom killed, so he had to be careful and use all his prey-stalking training - which wasn't much considering Brokenstar would rather have skillful fighters than skillful hunters; they owned the disgusting crowfood-filled Carrionplace, after all. Bristleclaw crept through the ferns, painfully aware of the fact that at any moment he could be discovered. Instinctively the brown tom lowered himself even more, squeezing his skinny belly against the marshy ground. Suddenly Boulder, who was leading the patrol, raised his head. The banished elder could just see his black nose twitching, sniffing the air. Oh no. He's smelled me through the undergrowth and mud and toadstools! Run! Run! ''But just as he was rising to his hefty paws to make a quick escape, the silver-furred senior warrior meowed, "I can smell badger. I'll tell Brokenstar to send some cats to check it out. Might be old scent from that big male Crownose, Clawface and I chased across the Thunderpath yesterday, but it's always good to be sure." Tuftypelt nodded, while Brightflower and the apprentice, a small cream-gold tabby, glanced around nervously. The stench of fear wafted from them, and they swiftly followed when Boulder advanced into the entrance tunnel of the camp. Bristleclaw's immediate reaction was miserable nostalgia at the mention of his black former best friend's name, but was soon replaced by relief that Boulder hadn't scented him. His tense muscles relaxed, and he stalked up to the ivy-and-thorn wall and peered through a gap underneath a spiky dark green leaf. He could see the far right portion of the clearing, with the Highbranch and nursery. The dirtplace tunnel was nearby. Half of the fresh-kill pile was also visible through the gap in the tangled leaves. There weren't too many cats in the camp; Bristleclaw guessed they were out in the territory. Out in the territory able to spot me if they looked hard enough through the pines, he thought with a grim, nervous fear. Bristleclaw recognized most of the cats who were in the clearing - Dustyfoot and Stumpytail were chatting in the shade of the Highbranch, while a queen had her head halfway outside the nursery. Her green eyes looked around; Bristleclaw recognized her as Scarletwhisker. ''Wonder who her mate is. ''He got his answer when Dustyfoot caught the she-cat's eye and blinked softly at her. She purred a rumbling purr Bristleclaw could hear from where he was, and she turned and vanished into the gloom of her den, tail in the air. At the edge of the camp the gray-and-white medicine cat, Runningnose, was washing his paws, eyes half-closed. Two young ginger cats, one with white patches and ventral, were striding proudly across the camp, deep in conversation. As the hunting party entered, the tabby apprentice dropped off her catch at the pile and bounded over to join the gingers. Littermates, maybe? Behind the only inch of the apprentices' den's roof Bristleclaw could see, there was a black shape shifting a little every now and then. Another unrecognized cat, a brown tabby, was padding toward Runningnose from the black shape's direction. Cobweb was strewn across the cat's side, indicating a wound. As Bristleclaw was checking to see if Runningnose had finally beaten his name and cured his cold, the bushes rustled at the tunnel to the elder's left and a massive cat padded into the clearing, head held high, that horribly familiar crooked tail stuck stiffly out. Everyone looked up as he approached, and some began to shake with fear. As Brokenstar turned around in Bristleclaw's direction the patchy tom realized there were two thin shapes dangling from his jaws. They were scratched, bloody and torn up, completely limp. One was black-and-white, the other gray with stripes. No, no, no, don't let it be them! Please, StarClan... But there was no point denying the truth. Those two lifeless bodies hanging from the ShadowClan leader's mouth were - Bristleclaw's own niece and nephew, Birdpaw and Snappaw. Chapter 7 'Redjuniper, who was sitting in''' the clearing with hers and Crownose's three kits, took one look at Brokenstar, sprang up, somehow grabbed all her babies' scruffs at once and charged full-pelt into the nursery. She then reappeared and sprinted into the warriors' den. There were those horrible moments of silence, then a shocked yowl, and Redjuniper along with Bristleclaw's sister and mother of Snappaw and Birdpaw, Lilyears, raced out of the den and pulled up in the center of the clearing, panting. They turned to meet their leader's gaze, and Redjuniper stepped back, leaving her friend to face off with the giant tabby. The gray-and-ginger she-cat gazed at Brokenstar as he laid the kits' bodies down, her amber eyes blazing and looked hard as flint. They were narrowed with absolute pure fury. Nothing else. Then the warrior let it all out. "YOU MANGE-RIDDEN FOX-HEART!" she screeched in anger, tail lashing and lip drawn back in a snarl, ears flat to her head. "First you rid this Clan of all honour and pride, you banish the respect-worthy elders, you force us not to hunt except at that filthy Carrionplace, you apprentice kits moons too young and make them fight with minimal training. You have a black heart, Brokenstar. Every single leader that came before you, including poor Raggedstar, I would have preferred. I am honoured to have been born with a noble leader such as Cedarstar leading this Clan, even though he was at his eldest. From the moment I saw you as a tiny kit at Lizardstripe's belly when I was a senior apprentice, I knew you were evil. With that horrendous twisted tail and pushed-in face. My mate died from one of your unnecessary battles, and now you kill my kits? Is there no crime you will not commit? Now you will pay for what you've done, badger-brain!" Hackles spiked up like never before, Lilyears unsheathed her claws and leaped, knocking the unsuspecting Brokenstar to the ground. Without a hint of mercy she scratched his face, splitting his nose in half and scoring a wound down his chin. Blood sprayed everywhere, dark brown tufts of fur flying with it. The furious leader tried to swipe at her, but she dodged and bared her teeth, lunging for his throat. But before Lilyears could sink her fangs in and kill Brokenstar Blackfoot the deputy, Dustyfoot and a cream tabby she-cat jumped onto the former queen and fastened their teeth in her scruff and tail, dragging her off the tom and letting her fall into the mud below. Blackfoot grasped hold of her to prevent the dilute tortoiseshell cat from attacking the ShadowClan leader again. Brokenstar rose to his paws and shook dirt and debris from his ruffled, matted pelt. What's he going to do to Lilyears? She tried to kill him! Bristleclaw thought, but forced himself to keep watching. Snarling and drooling, the scarred tabby gazed down upon Lilyears with undisguised hatred in his eyes. The she-cat shot an identical look right back at him. "You have commited an unspeakable crime, breaking the warrior code," Brokenstar began, growling, but Lilyears cut in. "I'D STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO IF I WANTED TO BE LIKE YOU THEN, RAT!" she hissed, attempting to run at him again, but Blackfoot held her back. "You always were a useless, mouse-brained excuse for a cat," Brokenstar continued, as if Lilyears hadn't spoken at all. "The weakness of your kits shows it all. I would've thought Ravenfur had passed down his strength to them, but apparently not. I was taking them through a regular training session and they dropped dead from moderate work. Battle training is used by all cats and taught to all cats. They should have survived." "But they're only four moons old!" Lilyears shouted. "They're supposed to be sleeping in the nursery, not being taught how to fight by a fox-heart like you!" Brokenstar rose his gaze to Blackfoot. "Take her away," he ordered the muscular white tom. "Throw her out in the forest where she'll never bother us again." He turned to the cream she-cat who helped drag Lilyears off the leader. "Toadbreeze, go with them. Make sure this traitor doesn't get away." That's right. Scarletwhisker's apprentice Toadpaw. As both named cats nodded and got to their paws, a gray tom with a speckled tail whom Bristleclaw remembered as Frondpaw but much smaller back then rose up beside the she-cat. "May I come?" he asked. "I-I don't want Toadbreeze to get hurt." Brokenstar dipped his battered head in approval. "Yes, Frondspot. Your loyalty is undoubtable." The three cats started toward the tunnel. Blackfoot passed Lilyears to Toadbreeze, who at first staggered under the new, squirming weight but quickly adjusted. Bristleclaw's tail lashed in fury and his heart felt like it was broken in two. His fur bristled and eyes shone with disbelief and anger at Brokenstar. So many negative emotions swirled in his chest that he almost screeched to the sky, but he restrained himself. The old cat was appalled at the scene that had unfolded in front of him, and he couldn't take it any longer. He spun around and sped off into the bushes, forgetting to be careful. I hope those cats didn't notice me! To be continued Category:Fanfiction